


Tell the Tale

by UhhComeBackToMe



Category: Camp Camp (Web Series)
Genre: Cults, David giving Gwen massages is my new headcanon, F/M, Ghosts?, Gwen's an artist and you can't tell me she's not, Gwom - Freeform, Non-Consensual Drug Use, Slow Burn, cursing, gwenvid - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-15
Updated: 2019-12-10
Packaged: 2020-06-28 11:33:33
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 15,276
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19811443
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UhhComeBackToMe/pseuds/UhhComeBackToMe
Summary: “I lived bitch.”





	1. Binding Ties

**Author's Note:**

> So this is my first fic which is in third person at that. I never really do write in third person, always in first. Hopefully my writing style isn’t too bad. Anyway this fic takes place at The Arrival of the Torso Takers. I remember, in great detail, how I thought the episode said attack of the torso takers and posted it. 
> 
> I did become inspired to make this by Azeran’s Attack of the Doppelgänger. I loved their story and enjoyed read it. I felt the need to make this because I know it could become so much more, rather it be worse or good. And I also felt the need to make this because I’ve just been in this Ari Aster mood (the guy who wrote and directed the Midsommar and Hereditary). Hopefully you get the gist of where I'm getting at. 
> 
> Please keep note of the tags. If this isn’t for you, don’t read it.

Something wasn't right for once. It's like there were red flags everywhere, yet all the red flags looked just like flags. 

Today was just supposed to be a regular day at the camp except it wasn't. It's like something was off about David earlier that Gwen couldn't quite pinpoint. Last night he was up later than usual, but at the same time he did catch the troubling trio being up to no good again. 

There were so many thoughts crashing over one another that it was getting difficult to concentrate. Maybe that was just the result of the lack of sleep she had gotten last night.

After finally reassuring herself that everything's fine, she got up to get back to watching the kids. She wasn't surprised to find Space Kid in a ludicrous predicament as soon as she opened the door. 

* * *

"Seriously guys, I can't be the only one who finds this whole thing suspicious?" Max asked looking wildly at Nikki and Neil. 

"I think that tv show we watched last night scrambled your brain Max," Nikki replies adding a cuckoo gesture. "You don't really think that David's an alien, do you?" She continued while cocking her head. 

"No, of course not! Do you?" He asked curiously. 

"Why would Aliens take David's body when they can take the body of John Cena? Or Guy Fieri?" Nikki exclaimed. 

"Fine, if you're not going to help me I'll just get to the bottom of this myself." Max said before walking off. 

"Bunch of bastards think I'm crazy. I'm not crazy! He looked at me!" He rambled. As if I'm crazy.. Am I? No. _C'mon think Max think. There's gotta be something I can show them wrong._ His thoughts weren't able to consume him any further with a sudden voice coming to volume. 

"Hoo, all this hard counseling has me famished! Why I'm so hungry I could eat... YOU!" 

You? "Holy SHIT, SPACE KID!" Max yelled then tugging on his hair. Ripping the tent's flaps back, "WHAT THE FUCK IS GOIN' ON?!" 

All there was to see was just David sitting there like a child. "Well, hi there, Max! You just caught me in the middle of my snack break! Gingerbread man?" He asks genuinely. 

"Wh-What did you do with Space Kid.. ?" 

"He's gone." David replies looking off to the other side of the room. 

_ Gone? What does he mean by that? That he ran off, that you hid him somewhere?  _

"Now if you'll excuse me, I've got more counseling work to do," David says while pushing Max out of the tent. "I just can't wait for our session, Max! I've got something really special planned for you." He says while slyly retreating back into the tent. 

_ Holy shit.  _

* * *

"No." 

"What? Oh come on, I know you out of all people should be able to detect is something's wrong with him." Max says. "Don't you know him like the back of your hand?" He continued. He knew she could tell something was wrong with him. 

"Maybe he's just tired of your shit." Gwen replied. 

"So you're basically telling me you don't find anything off about him at all?"

"I didn't say that I didn't find anything strange about him, but I am saying that he might be tired." She says. 

"Bull shit, as if he would get that tired easily. We barely did anything yet." He knew that she was deflecting, but for what? 

"I'm not talking about that type of tired, Max. What will it take for you to leave me alone?" 

"Look I can get the rest of the day off for you for you to do whatever you like to do." Max offers "Just this one favor, you're only telling him I'm sick not that I'm dying."

"So you can get the rest of the day off for me? No distractions?" 

"No distractions," Max confirms with a smug smile. 

"Deal." 

* * *

"Hey Gwen, have you seen Max? It's time for our counseling session!" 

"He caught a stomach virus, you'll have to do when he starts feeling better." She answers before continuing to take sips from her cup. 

"Oh, no" He said looking worried. "Well maybe I could-" 

"No, David. I already gave him something for it; for the time being let him rest." 

"Okay, well are you enjoying yourself?" 

It took her a few seconds to process what he just said. "Uh yeah, thanks for asking?" _The hell was that,_ Gwen wondered. Sure David was David but this David felt off. She looked at him as if someone just told her Doctor Who was canceled. 

"No problem Gwen!" He chirps then making his way over to get Nurf to start their session. 

Well, I had weirder days, she thought. Instead of taking a sip from her cup she downed the whole thing. She was able to bind Max some extra time to figure out clues just so he could prove us wrong or himself. Speaking of Max, she needs to find him so she can have the rest of the day off and relax. 

She only took a few steps until she heard something clank against the nearby window. Max. That was her cue to leave. Surely the kids should be able to act somewhat decent without her after their sessions. She barely stepped out of the doors before she heard a 'pssst' sound from her right. Looking that direction she was able to see him peeking around the corner while glancing around. 

"Did you find anything to prove us wrong?" She asks, crossing her arms. 

He parts his lips to reply, but then quickly looks over to the rumbling bushes. 

"I'm sure it's our mascot Max. Now say what you were gonna say." She tells him. Lord knows how much she needed the rest of the day off. 

"No. He's hiding something, Gwen. I know he is," he assures her. 

"Sure. Well I'm going to have the rest of the to myself now. If there are any distractions or if there's any trouble while I'm gone, I will tell David you're ready for your session." This wasn't just a threat, it was a promise that she was willing to deliver. Though, he didn't get the chance to retort before walking off to her cabin. 

  
  
  


Today might have been the longest days she ever had yet it felt like she barely did anything. Maybe she's just been overwhelmed by the fact that something was off about David. _No, we're not going to think about that. We're going to enjoy our rest of the day in peace. We don't know how stressful the next days are going to be so lets make this last._ The last thing she needed was to be stressed on a day where she can relax and she damn well was going to enjoy this. 

The first thing she was going to do was lie down real quick. As soon as her body hit the mattress, it felt like an infinite amount of chills soared throughout her body. It was just that easing feeling after a long day that any type of mattress would feel like a fluffy cloud. 

Before she knew it, she was already fast asleep. Sprawled all across her bed. 

  
  
  


It felt like she only slept for an hour, though after looking at the clock's time she knew she was out longer than it seemed. The campers should already be asleep by now. Hopefully tomorrow can be a bit more easy. 

The water was hot enough to hurt, yet it felt so good. She could feel her muscles relaxing and all her thoughts wash away. The room felt stuffy, probably do to the fact it's full of steam from the shower. She needed to get ready to go back to bed, but not before looking herself in a mirror. It finally time to give herself a little prep talk. 

_Tomorrow is just another day_ , she thought. Okay, now let's go to sleep. She expected to see David getting ready for his shower when she opened the door, but he was nowhere to be seen. _This isn't like him_ , he's never out this late. Maybe she's just overreacting, everyone undergoes changes once in awhile so what makes this so different? Probably the fact it was difficult to get him to change. 

He'll come back, reassuring herself. Oh screw it. She made her way to the door, grabbing a flashlight before tugging the door open. He can't be too far from the camp, she marched out of the cabin. That would mean he left designated area which is a violation against their rules. 

There's flags. Everywhere. 

She was only able to get about 15 feet away until she heard a loud agonizing moan. That stopped her dead in her tracks. Her entire body stiffened whilst feeling the goosebumps traveling up her spine, pulse beginning to quicken. It was like her mind and body was put on pause. The sudden thought of her being in a situation like the horror movies all came crashing at once. There was so many what if's and images wrapping around her mind. 

Maybe it's just some people out here just having sex or a dying animal, stopping her thoughts before they became too much to bare. Now that she thinks about it, it does sound more like a dying animal. More specifically a deer. Pinching the bridge of her nose, of course that's what it was. 

She was hesitating rather or not she should see what was happening to the poor thing. It kept releasing these loud torturous moans that she had to do something. It wasn't a good thing that the deer was close, but at least she didn't have to go too far.

The moans were able to help draw her closer and closer to it's direction. Thanks to the pained moans, she was able to point out where the deer was. She had found herself getting closer to the bushes as she followed the sounds, and as she approached them, they began to rustle slightly.

This is bait! Turn back now! The thought only made her pulse quicken even more. She'd probably die from a heart attack before anything could happen. Making the smart decision, she began to take a step back. The moans were continued. She was only able to take one more step back before feeling a calloused hand touch her left shoulder. 

"Hey Gwe-" CLANK! 

She didn't even give them a chance to finish nor fully turning around before swinging at them in the face with the flashlight as hard as she could. 

"SHIT DAVID, SORRY!" Gwen exclaimed. "You can't sneak up on people like that! I almost had a fucking heart attack beforehand for fucks sake!" She was damn near screaming at him while also trying to comfort him. He got struck good; there was blood making its way from his nose onto his hand. 

"It's fine! I shouldn't have snuck up on you!" He muffled quickly. 

"Here let me see," removing his hand from his face then grabbing his chin to examine. Luckily nothing seemed broken, though he'd still need some patching up. Maybe it was the lighting, but David's eyes were just- just awfully alluring. The way his emeralds glistened in the moonlight. It took her a moment to realize that she was no longer 'examining' his face and he did too. 

"So what the hell are you doing?" She asks after pulling her hand away and placing it on her hip. 

"Well I was just triple checking if all the kids were safe and sound then suddenly I heard a large crack. The next thing I know there were these painful moans, it had to be a deer!" He answers as he glances at the environment around them. It seemed like he was about start rambling to explain himself more, but he doesn't. He just stops and looks at her. It was almost like he knew she didn't want a drawn out explanation. "What are you doing out here?" 

"Well I was originally looking for you, but then I heard moans as well and went to check it out." She replied dryly. "I'm sure it's dead now that we don't hear it anymore." 

"Do you think we should move the body so the campers don't see?" 

"No," Gwen replies. "We'll just tell make sure they don't go over there. We'll end up too far from the campers if we were to. Now let's get back to the cabin and get some sleep." She finished in between a yawn. 

"Right," he agrees. 

  
  


As they made their way back to the cabin, she kept thinking about how he didn't stop her when he noticed. That isn't him, is it? 

You know, it's funny. When you look at someone through rose-colored glasses, all the red flags just looked like flags. 

  
  
  
  


Gwen knew she wasn't going to be able to sleep after what happened tonight. Thankfully David was able to fetch her a glass a water for the night. Maybe this could help her sooth her. She drank half of it before laying down. Surprisingly, she was already feeling herself starting to doze off. She was glad for it too, but tonight's memory seemed to keep replaying in her head until it slowly began to fade to darkness. She was gone, there was no waking her up. A meteor could hit and it wouldn't even make her toss. 

Coming from the bathroom, David noticed that she was fast asleep. Today was tiring for sure; he'd prefer to do nothing but lay down and let sleep crash over him. Though he couldn't help but find himself towering over Gwen. Just examining and taking her all in. He slowly caressed her cheek with the backside of his hand. He knew that she wouldn't wake. 

He leans in close, brushing her hair behind her ear. Hovering over it, his lips pull back to a simple smile. "Goodnight, Gwen."


	2. Raccoon Whisperer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gwen gets a massage :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for Dolph's accent

  


“So did you find anything yesterday?” Neil asked, walking up to Max with Nikki by his side. 

  


“No,” Max replied. “But I know there has to be some evidence, I’ll show you.” He finishes while pointing at Neil. 

  


Neil turns to look at Nikki worriedly, with his nervous hand-grabbing gesture. Unfortunately, Max noticed his gesture, eyeing him down then turning his attention to Nikki. 

  


_ They’re starting to think you’re crazy.  _

  


His staring didn’t get the chance to continue any further due to a faint scream interrupting. Turning their attention to where it came from they were able to spot Preston, lying on the ground with the backside of his hand pressed against his forehead. Apparently they weren’t the only ones to hear him since the other campers were gathering around. Max looked back at the two for a quick second before making his way over to the others. Neil and Nikki didn’t say anything, they only exchanged glances before following. 

  


“What’s he screaming for?” Max asked, arriving at the scene. 

  


“Yeah, what are you screaming for Preston?” Nerris asks curiously. 

  


He doesn’t get up to move, but only weakly lifts his arm to point at the bush in front of him. They all look at this bush then starts looking at each other. They were looking at each other as if one of them would step up to see what was going on with that bush. Then they turned their attention to Max. 

  


He looks at them knowing exactly what they’re thinking. “Okay, fine. I’ll do it.” Walking towards the bush he felt at unease. He could feel them all staring at him, but there was no stopping him now. He grabbed the bush by its roots then tugged it as hard as he could, revealing what its been hiding. 

  


There were a few gasps, but other than that everyone just stood there in silence. Taking their moment to absorb what’s been revealed. 

  


“Hey there campers!” David exclaims, greeting them with his chipper voice and cheerful smile. Completely oblivious to what’s happening. “I thought I heard screaming?” He asks while looking at all of them, avoiding to look forward. They all quickly turn around to look at him and then points forward. There was no way he could miss it. 

  


His reaction didn’t really seem much. There was a small gasp and his smile did fade, yet there wasn’t something right about it. Max noticed it. It was as if everyone was completely blind to his expression. It was wild and unnerving. Was everyone blind or is he just looking to hard to find something? 

  


“Oh dear, look everyone,” he finally speaks. “We all need to remain calm and-” 

  


He wasn’t able to finish his sentence before Max yelled “Remain calm? How the fuck are we supposed to remain calm when here’s someone out there gutting animals?!” 

  


He doesn’t respond. He only shoots a look at Max, narrowing his eyes at him. It looks almost as if he’s threatening him silently. 

  


“Look, the best thing to do is stay calm in this situation. Now this only happened one time, but if any of you guys find another animal around like this tell me so I can order an investigation.” He says, trying to reassure their safety. ”Now I want you all to go get ready for our activities. Hopefully they can take your mind off of this.” To his surprise they listened and began walking off. He then kneels down to examine the animal as if he could find any clues. Not everyone left though, Max was still there by no surprise. He stood there with his arms crossed looking at David sharply. 

  


It didn’t take long for him to notice there was another presence around. So he got up to turn around and see Max. “You know Max,” he begins. “We never got the chance to have our session since you got sick.” He could see a smile forming on David’s face, eyes widening. 

  


“Now that I see you’re better, I don’t see a reason why not to have one. Maybe it could help especially after this,” his smile started become forced. 

  


“Um well, maybe now isn’t the best time since you know- I’m still traumatized and all.” Max stammered, trying to back away.  _ Clearly, this was a mistake.  _ Without noticing, he was scratching the back of his head, looking everywhere except at David. He was doing his nervous twitch that anyone see right through. 

  


He didn’t know which was scarier; the fact that David knows he’s lying or the fact he’s not saying anything. Did he need to say anything? 

  


“Well that’s alright! Maybe tomorrow?” It didn’t seem like a genuine question, but more like a command. 

  


Max only looks at him. He’s not even sure if he’s supposed to respond.  _ We’re not going to respond, just walk off,  _ he told himself as he continued to back away. The stare down lasts just for a few more seconds until David began walking off. 

  


_ Note to self, don’t be alone with him.  _

  


* * *

  


  


Today already wasn’t a good day for Gwen. She woke up with a splitting headache and she could’ve sworn she seen some type of dark figure run by her on her way to the mess hall to get some coffee. Thankfully the coffee did seem to help her with her day. It didn’t give her the energy she needed for the rest of the day, but she knows she can manage. Most of the campers were away getting ready for their swimming lessons anyway. That meant she had just enough time to herself. It may not be in the cabin where she could truly relax, but it was something. 

  


For a second she thought she saw something move under the table next to her. Maybe she did or maybe she’s just overthinking again. Nope, she really did see something and that something was Dolph. He must be trying to avoid today’s activity. Its not that everyone doesn’t have their days of not wanting to do what’s planned yet it was strange to find him not participating while hiding under the table. Taking a closer look, she could see a small little canvas in his hands. She decided to get up and make her way over to him, leaving her coffee on the table. 

  


“Why aren’t you joining the rest of the campers?” Gwen asks while placing her hand on her hip. 

  


He looks up at her from under the table with his big innocent eyes saying “I didn’t feel like zit,” then goes to continuing to dab his middle finger onto the canvas. 

  


“Well life isn’t about what you feel like doing kiddo, it’s about just getting it over with.”  _ Maybe that was a little harsh.  _ It didn’t phase him though. He doesn’t even look back up at her. “Just for today,” she says. 

  


“Hm?” He hums finally looking back at her. 

  


“You don’t have to join them, but just for this day. Any other day you’ll have to.” She answers him. He offered her a little smile before going back to dabbing his fingers. Instead of going back to where her coffee sat she decided to sit at his table. She was trying her best not to look at him for too long, but it was hard for her to see what he was painting. 

  


“Mind showing me what you’re painting?” She asks. She wasn’t expecting for him to give her the canvas. When she received it it was almost like looking at those simple paintings at the museums that has so much to appreciate. He’s been improving a lot here lately. 

  


“This is really good Dolph,” she says to him, offering him a gentle smile. 

  


“Really?” He asks while slowly climbing out from under the table. 

  


“Yeah, really. I wouldn’t say something if I didn’t mean it.” She replies and hands him his painting back. “You know, I used to draw too myself.” 

  


“Really?”

  


“Yeah, you don’t remember The Bird of Lilac I drew for David?” 

  


“Um no, notz really.” 

  


Gwen huffs then began at their surroundings just in case if there was someone around. Then she looks at him and smirks. “Come with me.” 

  
  
  


“Whatz are we doing here?” He asks her curiously, even though he truly did want to explore his counselor’s cabin he didn’t since he knew she’d find it distasteful. 

  


She doesn’t answers him this time, probably because she was too focused on trying to hold her mattress while trying to grab her something. After a moment of struggling she was finally able to grab it. 

  


She holds out one her sketchbooks. “Here,” she says. He looks up at her again with his big eyes then takes it from her hand. He knew by the cover that this wasn’t just any regular sketchbook, but a Strathmore Toned Sketchbook that’s filled with warm tan pages. Knowing that she kept one of these truly brought joy to him. 

  


He almost chose to stand and marvel at her drawing but then when he seen Gwen sit down on her bed and look at him, he knew it was best to do so sitting down. This meant that you could really take everything in. 

  


Gwen’s art was truly unique in its own way. The way she was able to blend the watercolors, the way she was able to add shading while remaining some realism. Her art style was somewhere to being realistic but continuing to remain some sort of toony in it; semi-realistic for short. 

  


There wasn’t much to look at since she only made it to a few pages. Its probably due to the fact that she doesn’t get time to herself to draw. Though, it was nice to see them come up short. Then he wouldn’t have to do so much flipping while having Gwen look him. If he could explain his feeling into words he would, but he couldn’t. 

  


“You can have it if you want,” she proposes. “But don’t tell anyone about this. Not even David, got it?” She adds. 

  


He nods his head in response. 

  


* * *

  


  


_ He’s hiding something, I know he is,  _ Max thought.  _ He’s probably planning to drown us one by one _ , he continues, standing on the dock while leaning against the pole. He didn’t even bother changing since he had no intention of getting in the water. So he just stood there and watched David teach them the basics. 

  


“Are you not getting, Max?” Nikki asked, intruding his thoughts. 

  


“No.” 

  


“Why not?” Neil asks, approaching them. 

He doesn’t answer the question, instead he just gives one of those sneaky sly smirks. “Hey Nikki, you want to go check out counselor’s cabin?”

  


“Well I don’t kno-”

  


“Gwen has a stash of snacks under her bed,” Max assures her. 

  


“Okay!” She replies, happy to oblige. Making her way to shore. Max starts walking away 

  


“Wait, so you guys are going to leave me?” Neil asks, looking at Max. 

“Well, yeah.” Max replies then continuing to walk away. 

  


It wasn’t as if Neil felt oppressed to follow along with them, but he just couldn’t stand being alone. Sure he was alright with being around everyone else though he wasn’t quite comfortable around them like he would be with Nikki and Max. It can be an awful feeling he hated if he chooses to stay. All there was to do was make his way to shore and make his way over to them. 

  
  
  
  


“So why are we going through there cabin again?” Nikki asks, looking at Max. 

  


“Please don’t tell me you’re still looking for clues?” Neil adds. 

  


Max parts his lips to retort, but nothing came out. He quickly turned his attention to the rumbling bushes to their left. None of them made any further movement for a moment. Then Nikki yells “I bet it’s a raccoon! Or Muack; either way let’s go check it!” Neither Max or Neil was able to respond before Nikki lunged herself into the bushes. They had no choice but to follow her. 

  


The bushes weren’t surprisingly thick enough for them to go through this time. Once they caught up to her, they were presented with her going in circles with a raccoon. Turns out she was right about it being a raccoon, but something wasn’t quite right about this one. It was terribly skinny, had blind-like eyes yet the way it moved it in circles it seemed that their eyes were fully functioning, and it seemed to be foaming at the mouth? 

  


_ Shit.  _

  


“NIKKI GET AWAY FROM IT!” Max yelled. Both her and Neil looked at him confusingly. That was a mistake. As soon as she let her guard down the raccoon jumped at her, pinning her down. Luckily she flung her hands out right in time to use them to hold the raccoon back by the neck. That didn’t stop it from scratching at her forearms though, making incoherent noises. The violent didn’t last any longer than a few seconds before Max swung at the raccoon with a large branch. Sending it flying away, but not too far. The fact that the hit didn’t seem to phase it was horrifying. It just got back up, slightly wobbling. 

  


It just stood there looking at the three, baring his teeth at them. Neil was the one who dragged her back to the  _ circle,  _ inspecting her quickly while Max stood his ground in front of them. 

  


“Um Max?” Neil tapped on his shoulder. “Look,” pointing to their right they could see several of blind-like eyes staring at them. 

  
  
  
  


David got more done with the lessons than he anticipated, possibly because of the trouble making trio absence. He spotted Gwen and Dolph standing right in front of the mess hall waiting on them as he made his way there. 

  


“Oh there you are Dolph! Also, hey Gwen! The trio must be with you?” He asks her, only to receive a confused look from her. 

  


“No, I thought they were with you?”

  


“Oh dear,” he gulps, giving her a worried look. 

  


“Daaavviid,” she could feel her anger beginning to rise. She inched closer to him with her hands balled into fists to her sides. Normally, David would back up and assure her where they could be hiding or where to look to, but he doesn’t. He stood there as if he was ready to embrace whatever she had coming for him. She didn’t take it any further once she noticed the trio in the corner of her left eye running at full speed from the woods. They weren’t the only ones running. It took Gwen a few moments to make out what was behind them. Her face turned from confusion to wild once she figured out. Thinking quick on her feet, she ran turned back around to and swung open the doors. 

  


“Everyone get in, now!” Gwen yelled enough for them all to hear. 

  


They must have recognized the panic in her voice since they actually began rushing to get inside. She kept count of them as they rushed in to make sure they were all there. Lifting her head after the last one, she sees David running towards the kids. Was she seeing things or have David completely lost his mind for him to run towards rabid raccoons? Perhaps he’s going to scoop up the kids and run back. Rather than doing that, he runs right past them only to stop a few feet afterwards. 

  


_ Who was he? _

  


He brought his hands to his hips, exhaling a slight huff as he stood there waiting for the pack of raccoons approach. Instead of mauling him like any other rabid animals would do, they halt right in front of him. They just stop and look up at him. Making any more movements was a huge risk of having your life on the line. But that’s not stopping him from doing whatever he’s trying to do. 

  


From inside the window, Max absorbed the act. As much as he really wanted to have Gwen see this, Nikki scratches did need tending to. The most he could do is watch and tell her. 

  


David nervously bends down to meet the leader of packs eye level. He begins smiling “Gratias agimus tibi,” scratching behind the raccoon’s ear before standing to look over them. Slowly, they began to retreat. Although Max was watching from the window, he could see David turning around looking right at him his toothy smile before waving right at him. Seeing this made Max’s jaw drop. Absolutely no one can get a pack of rabid raccoons to not maul them simply by just words or affection. It’s impossible. 

  


The more Max thought about it the more he could feel a headache coming along. Thankfully they were interrupted by David swinging the doors open. He was trying to put on this pouting act he’d usually do when he’s disappointed or had enough. 

  


“Max, I can’t believe you! Messing with the wildlife.” David says in his disappointed tone with his hands on hips. 

  


Gwen whips her head to Max to see him looking at her for back up, but she doesn’t give him any. She only waits to hear what else David had to say. 

  


“The fuck? How’d I mess with them if they attacked Nikki first?” Max could feel himself start to boil. “It had rabies and tried to attack her?!”

  


David shook his head in disapproval. “Even if so, why did you guys leave your designated area?” He cocks his head. 

  


This time there was no response.  _ What was he supposed to say to that? _

  


“The rest of today will be a relaxing day since I’m sure this incident has shakin’ some people. Isn’t that right Gwen?” 

  


“Uh huh,” she was too distracted tending back to Nikki’s wounds. There was no bites thankfully, but she still would need professional treatment and examining. A case of rabies isn’t something she could handle. “David, I’m going to need to talk to you when I’m done with this.” 

  


“Alright Gwen!” He chirps, with his cheerful smile. 

  
  
  
  


“Nikki’s going to need to go to the hospital.”

  


“Why? Has she been bitten?” 

  


“No, but she’s got scratches on her and we’re not going to risk that.” 

  


“Oh alright,” he said slightly saddened. “Do you want me to call an ambulance?’

  
  
  
  


These days have been getting longer and longer. Becoming even more stressful each day. Though today wasn’t the icing on the cake which is unusual. Sure, she was mad about the whole incident earlier. How David got the raccoons to stop in the most ridiculous way.  _ Telling them he’ll stop feeding him my ass, _ Gwen thought. She knew it was a complete lie, but she didn’t have the energy to go through calling him out. At first she was going to let her thoughts stop there, but she was brought back them to the fact that she knew David knows not to feed the wildlife. 

  


_ You’re almost done,  _ she told herself. The paperwork for Nikki’s case was something else. On top of that she had to do the camp’s paperwork which was a shit ton. 

  


She was nowhere near done, she only told herself that so she could build up enough energy to finish them off. It was becoming more difficult to concentrate on the papers with today’s incident coming back to taunt her. David wasn’t helping her cause by being out later than usual again. 

  


_ Why are you turning a blind eye?  _

  


_ Come on, Gwen. This time you’re really almost done,  _ she could hear David opening the door slowly, trying to enter as quietly as he can. Gwen didn’t even bother to ask what took him so long to get here, she only continued to try and focus on the little amount of paperwork she had left. 

  


She could feel David hovering over her for whatever reason she could speculate. It almost seemed that she just did not care what happens anymore for a second, but instead she was becoming annoyed by his presence. 

  


Before she could act, she felt his hands rest on each side of her shoulders. The act caught her by surprise and she wasn’t able to react quick enough before his fingers began to get to work. It was like her mind had mentally switched off. 

  


All the tension in her muscles easing ever so slightly in the best way. Not even realizing, she had let out a long low groan escape her lips. This felt so out of place, but she couldn’t bring herself to stop this. It just felt so damn good. 

  


His hands slowly began to dip its way lower towards the midst of her back. Taking his chances, he pulled himself closer to the back of the chair. This way she could feel his body heat up against her. Bending forward so his mouth could meet at her ear, “You seemed tensed.” 

  


God she needed this. 


	3. Lemonade

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finally got another chapter done :D. Also, yeah, I know this chapter isn’t the best. I kinda just started giving up on it a little and I’m sure you are able to tell. I took a little longer on this than I expected. After actually watching Midsommar, I kinda felt the need to change my story a bit (which I did and it makes much more since now). It somewhat made me lose interest in this story and such. Then I listened to Reborn by Colin Steston (Hereditary, 2016) and felt like getting back in the mood to continue. I did take some things away from the story I had in mind and replaced it with more somewhat disturbing things.

These past few days she has been waking up later than usual. It was strange, but it was nothing compared to everything else that’s been happening. This was something she could pass off as if it’s a small bug. Gwen knew today was going to be another long day and probably a stranger one too. Not wanting to get up and ready, she let out a long, drawn out groan. She wished she could lie here for the rest of the day and let David take care of them. Though, she knew that she would doze right off if she continued lying down.

Getting herself to sit up almost felt like pulling 50 pounds up a steep hill. She sits there for a moment before finally opening her eyes. There wasn’t much to see in the cabin, but she’d still look around just to see if there was something out of the ordinary. After glancing around, she looks to see a cup of coffee on her nightstand. Grabbing it, she noticed there was a small note attached to the backside of it.

_Hey Gwen! Decided to let you sleep in since I could see that these past days have been stressful for you. Oh and I also made coffee for you to start the day :)_

\- David

She didn’t know if it was the fact that David let her sleep in, that he made her coffee, or that he hasn’t been too blind to see the impact these incidents had, but either way the note made her crack a small smile. 

Well today can’t be all that bad now can it? 

* * *

Today’s activity was based on our “creativity”. The task was to replicate something you hold dearest out of clay. Just about everyone seemed ready to participate, all except Max. He wasn’t interested or felt like wanting to forget yesterday. It seemed like everyone forgot about it and continued on like nothing happened. _He couldn’t be the only one that noticed what David did._ Sure there has been crazy shit happen before but it never resulted in anyone being sent away to the hospital. This case was different though. 

Soon everyone began making their way towards the activity field. It wasn’t like Max had to follow them, but he wasn’t willing for something else to happen all because he decides to stray from the path. Going with them was his best bet. 

For a second it seemed that everyone had left. David didn’t headcount nor did he feel the need to since they all should’ve taken yesterday’s incident as a lesson. Apparently, not everyone did leave. When he turned around to his surprise it wasn’t Max standing behind him as expected, but it was Harrison. Based on the expression the boy was giving off David could tell the boy wanted to talk about something. There was something strange about him yet there was also something that made him so intriguing. He didn’t present fear, but instead curiosity and general interest. 

“Well hello there Harrison! Was there something you needed?” David asks as sincerely as he can. 

“Oh I was just wondering… how’d you do that?” 

Leaning down while resting his hands on his knees, David asks “Do what Harrison?” Their eyes were both on the same level. 

“Well, I mean- how’d you get the raccoons to stop?” Harrison repeats, avoiding his gaze. 

“Oh you mean that! Well I just told them to leave politely and that I didn’t want to get an exterminator involved.” David replies, quickly straightening back up. 

“How’d you get them to understand you? Was it through some sort of spell or through some special language that could animals to understand you? Or was it only for raccoons?” He let all the questions roll out in one breath. 

David’s smile began gathering before saying “Yes, it was through a spell I knew. You know, I could use some help tonight with setting up for our big party I have planned.” He says, “But don’t tell anyone about this now what do you say?” 

“Sure!” 

“Alright, now let’s go!” David says, waiting for Harrison to begin walking so they could make their way to the activity field.

Today might’ve been the most tamest days so far. All the campers had already begun creating their possessions with the clay but not before playing around with it for a bit. Everyone seemed to be thoroughly enjoying this activity. Maybe this was supposed to bring everyone’s attention away from everything.

All Max could do was just sit there and think, trying to piece things together. He just couldn’t let this thing go. Usually by now his thoughts would’ve been broken by Nikki yelling or asking something, but not this time. This time it was David’s looking that broke them. He noticed that Max wasn’t partaking in this activity. That didn’t take the smile off his face though. 

It appeared that he wanted to say something, but he doesn’t. He just keeps looking, creating this stare down between the two. Max wasn’t going to back down and it seemed that David wasn’t either. He didn’t blink not once as they looked at each other. 

It didn’t take long for Max to blink, he just couldn’t keep his eyes open like that. And when he did blink, David quickly turned his attention to Nurf before walking towards his direction. 

It was either that Max felt especially bold today or he knew ‘David’ couldn’t do anything to him since they were in public, but he no longer felt intimidated by him. Well at for the moment. It was starting to become annoying if he were to be honest. He knows that David knows that this isn’t him. It’s almost like he’s toying with him. 

  


As Gwen made her way to the activity field, she noticed that the kids were somewhat calm today which felt out of place, though it was a nice change of pace. She didn’t see any reason to complain either since nothing was happening. 

“Oh hey Gwen! We’re just doing a little project, isn’t that right kids?” David asks in his chipper voice. It wasn’t quite clear if he was expecting an actual response, but either way all he received we mumbles of ‘yeah’ or ‘sure’. 

Gwen says nothing to him but looks over to noticed that Max wasn’t joining in on the activity. It’s not like he would usually join in on them right away anyway. While David was distracted looking at whatever, she began making her way over to Max. 

“Why aren’t you participating this time? Oh wait let me guess you’re skeptical about why you’re doing this,” She says nonchalantly.

“So you’re telling me you’d be making your prized possession out of clay?”

“Oh, so that’s what you guys were making? Well maybe this right thing to ease everyone’s mind. I’m sure if you were to do the same you’d forget all about everything.” 

Max doesn’t respond. Gwen could tell that he was becoming more and more upset about this. She knew that he could see her deflecting the whole situation which didn’t make sense to him. Why would she be trying to ignore all of this?

“Alrighty campers, I’d say it’s just about time to stop what we’re doing and get ready for lunch!” David announces. 

  
  


“What’s your problem?”

“What?”

“You heard me. You know something’s off around here and you know that something is David.” Max says to Gwen dryly. This time he can’t raise his voice. Everyone already is seeing him as a little off the radar as it is so yelling wouldn’t be doing much good. 

She retorts with an eye roll and a small sigh. It’s almost like each day would repeat, yet add more to it as they go. The best thing it’d seem like to do was not respond. If she engages there’s no telling what might happen and besides he’ll probably leave it alone once he finally realizes no one cares. Though the way he narrowed his eyes into slits at her was making her think he wasn’t going to let _this_ one go. 

Apparently, both of them didn’t notice David’s presence. He was standing right next to Gwen and she hadn’t realized he was there until he asked- 

“Is everything alright?” 

“Yeah,” she says not taking her eyes away from Max’s. 

“Alright Gwen! Also you don’t want to drink that,” David tells her, taking her previous cup away from her then giving her a new one. Ducking down to whisper in her ear “The Kool Aid’s for the kids. I found something better for you.” 

The drink didn’t seem like anything more than lemonade but it was a little more clearer. It sure didn’t smell like it though. It was strong yet had this sweet touch to it. That sly bastard. 

She couldn’t help but give him a little smile before him walking off. Max was able to catch it too. 

“What the fuck was that? Is that why you’re ignoring all this?” He asks her, raising his voice a little. 

“Wha?” 

“I saw that smile you gave him.” He says. 

“Yeah and what about it?” Gwen snaps at him. 

Max begins smirking, looking at her as if he’s won. “You’re fucking him aren’t you?” 

That caught her by surprise. She didn’t expect him to say for some reason when it’s Max. She was half expecting him to suspect David of giving her alcohol, not this. Maybe ignoring this isn’t the best idea. The little shit always knew how to put a spin on things. 

“No Max. He’s the most sexless person you’ll ever meet.” She tells him then taking a sip. The drink tasted like it smelled. 

“Whatever you say Gwen,” Max replies to her, getting up from the table they’ve been sitting at. Making his way over to Neil who in which was in the middle of sipping from his cup. “Hey Neil, you’re aware that our counselors are fucking right?” He asks in a raised tone so that Gwen would hear. It nearly made him choke on his drink. 

It was amazing how she kept herself somewhat in control. Instead of retorting, she only looked at Neil with a straight face and shook her head. This was becoming ridiculous. Luckily Neil took Gwen’s look into note and simply looking at Max questionable. She won this battle. 

“I don’t think she’s-” 

“They’re what?” Nurf asks, not before shoving Neil aside with his large hand. 

“That’s right, our two counselors are sleeping together. Isn’t that right, Gwen?” He emphasizes on her name just so she knew what game he was playing. 

The more he talked about it the more others began listening. He asked David a question in regards to his claims and David answered yes since he didn’t catch what the asked and just rolled along with whatever was happening, making all the kids go ‘oohhh’. Nope, she didn’t win this. Not by a long shot. 

  


Today was pretty decent; not too much was going on and not too little. But it wasn’t a day Gwen could forget due to Max. Ignoring him wasn’t the best idea and some part of her knew that. The nerve this kid has sometimes. Her and David would never be together. But he has been caring more an awfully a lot. The more than he usually would. 

She shook her head to shake the thoughts out of her before they could go any further than she wanted them to go. She needed to get to sleep so she doesn’t wake up late again. After taking one more sip from her glass she finally laid down, allowing her to slip to unconsciousness. 

She fell asleep faster than David have expected. He couldn’t be bothered to look at her this time. He needed to hurry up and get tonight over with. 

The entire camp would remain asleep until it’s time to start the day. He couldn’t help but smile at himself, knowing he’s about to have help from one of the campers. 

“Pst.” 

“Hm huh?” 

“Are you ready, Harrison?”

“Oh? Oh, yeah, right!” 

“Good.” 

It was becoming harder and harder for Max to sleep with each passing day. He thought maybe the more he would toss and turn the more he would tire himself, eventually falling asleep. But he knew that wouldn’t work. All this thinking about what’s happening only made him stay up. No one’s trying to care or believe him. 

Tossing over one more time, he could see a two faded shadows walking by. From the looks of it one of them appeared to be David’s figure, he couldn’t exactly pinpoint who the other one seemed to look like. Ideally, staying put would be Max’s safest bet but he let his curiosity was getting the best of him. Although, there would be no point of him doing this since if he did see something happen no one would believe him probably even with back up. Before heading out to follow them, he grabs the lantern for some source of light. Trying to not wake Neil up, he slowly began making his way to exit the tent. He poked his head out just to make sure no one was around and so he could see where the two went to. For a second Max thought he lost them. But when he turned to a certain angle, he could see two distinct bodies walking into the woods. 

He was hesitant to enter. He usually wouldn’t but at this matter who wouldn’t be? Taking one deep breath, he stepped forward and started making his way to them. It was like he learnt nothing from yesterday. 

He was trying to make out there tracks as he began entering further into the forest. Since it was dark and the lantern was almost little to no help, it was difficult to make out if these were even theirs. 

Deciding it was best to let his neck rest, he looked up. He felt his blood run cold. It may have been dark but that still didn’t allow him not to realize what he was seeing. 

It was a dead raccoon, another gutted one. It hung up on the tree as if it were an ornament. The first one they found seemed to be as a warning to watch out. This one didn’t seem as one. Taking a step back, he could see something carved above its head. Lifting up his lantern a little higher, he could see that there was this half ‘sun’ sculpted in. 

A part of Max was telling him to turn back now, but at the same time he wanted to get a better image so he could remember the symbol. He only studied it for a few seconds before turning his attention to the rumbling bushes. He stood as still as possible, trying not to imagine the worst. The rumbling seemed to calm down for a second to Max’s surprise, but that doesn’t mean he shouldn’t get the hell out of here. 

“Max?” 

Like most people, Max turned to see who called his name and once he did, he was faced with David crouching down in front of him. He wasn’t even given a second to respond before a handful of powder was blown into his eyes.

"Agh!” 

He couldn't help but breathe it in. The powder burned like hell. Shocked for moment, Max stumbles backwards. Trying to gain control of his legs, but they were suddenly frozen. Becoming immobile He drunkenly collapses on the ground, jolting with panic, unable to move. His eyes were locked open.

David could be seen leans down, closing each eyelid until everything went black. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think this chapter might be the most boring and the least good out of them all. This isn’t filler and its important to the story surprisingly, but my god I didn’t want to write this. So if it wasn’t all that good that should explain why. Chapter 4 will more interesting :) 
> 
> And shout out to creating_of_arts and tfw_no_nachos on Instagram; they've been helping me with my chapters and they deserve their recognition.


	4. You Cannot Speak

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Well now things are finally happening

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I swear I don’t have an obsession with dead raccoons or anything. I hope you like this chapter, I know I enjoyed writing this since things are finally happening. Now that things were finally about to get interesting, I wanted to do this more and more so I can get to the divine part of the story. Also this chapter was originally going to be more intimate but I knew if I did that I’d somewhat ruin the build up to what’s to come and it wouldn’t make much sense.

The kids appeared to be enjoying today’s activity. It was small and simple yet it held something special to them. David was allowing them to decorate their rock not before finishing yesterday’s works. Once finished, he was going to let them set their rocks around this large volcano structure-like figure he built with the supplies he and Harrison got. Today seemed to be yet another tame day. 

* * *

It took a lot for Max to pry his eyelids open. They were so heavy that it didn’t seem like he’d be able to open them on his own. He couldn’t quite recall what happened last night. Everything felt like a blur and if he were to try and remember, he’d only be met with a splitting headache. So it was ideally for him to leave it be for the moment. Or at least until his mind was fully awake. 

For a few minutes, he just laid there in silence, blankly staring at the tents ‘ceiling’. His muscles felt dense. It took every amount of energy he had to make himself turn to his side. Max had expected to see Neil inside but he wasn’t. It was only him in the tent. It was best to assume that he’d overslept and everyone has already started the day. It wasn’t that he was complaining that no one bothered to wake him up, it was just- why would they let him sleep in? 

_Ugh,_ Max thought. He couldn’t keep thinking like this or the headache would come to take over. What drove him finally sit up wasn’t just the feeling of unease, but the smell of something rotting. It smelt like whatever it was inside the tent or very close by. 

He looked around as he stepped outside of the tent. It felt like a ghost town and something about this made him feel great discomfort. Once he was fully out, he could take in the smell fully. It reeked even more than it had inside. After taking a few glances around, he stops to look up. He stood there blankly as the memories came flooding. They were all circling this area, hanging still. When he looked closely, he could see the same half sun-like symbol carved above all of their heads. 

Max knew that staying here could potentially put him at great risk. He had to find Gwen quick though he had to make sure no one would spot him, especially David. Darting his eyes around, making sure no one or _anything_ was around. 

_She should still be in the cabin_. For these past few days, she’s been sleeping in so today shouldn’t be any different. On his way to their cabin, he could feel another presence around. It almost felt like it was following and with this, it made Max pick up his pace. Even though he did quicken his speed it didn’t stop a small hand from touching his shoulder. 

“Hey Max,” Neil greeted nervously. “W-where are you going?”

Max says nothing for a moment; he doesn’t even turn back to look at Neil. 

“Nowhere,” he answers, then turning to look at him. Looking at him was a good thing, but it wasn’t. It was more of a red flag than a warning. There was the same sun symbol painted on Neil’s forehead. It was more simplistic yet looked like it was painted using blood. 

Neil quickly picks up on what he was looking at. “Oh, this is just painting Max. David painted these on everyone for some odd reason?” He tries to assure him. “Oh well, you’re missing out on all the fun,” he adds then grabbing Max’s wrist tightly, dragging him to the activity field. He’d been hit with so many thoughts and emotions at once that he couldn’t exactly react, he was just kinda stricken. 

Everything seemed to be normal and off at the same time. It was an unnatural feeling that was becoming overwhelming. As soon as he sat down at the long drawn out table with glasses of lemonade set to each camper. He could feel all the attention on him. Even if they weren’t directly looking at him, he could still feel it there. 

Max didn’t know what to do. Everyone seemed to be in on whatever was happening. Everyone except Gwen of course who in which wasn’t around. It was either comply with them and give in or fight and make it worse. He just sat there slouched over for a minute, looking around as everyone was decorating. 

It felt like there was complete silence but there wasn’t. Everyone had their little side conversations going on that seemed to be drowned out. It’s been early yesterday since he had anything to drink. If he were to be honest, the lemonade looked quite good and was becoming more irresistible. Drinking it was a dangerous risk that he couldn’t take, but looking at the way Neil drank the rest from his glass was making it difficult. 

Turning to look at his glass, _a small sip couldn’t kill me, right?_ He thought before grasping the sides of it. _It’s like a small dosage,_ he told himself while taking a little sip. Once the liquid hit his tongue, he felt instant relief but only for a moment. That was the most he was going to allow himself to drink. Small dosages can mean so much more. 

That small sip was a mistake, Max could feel his body tingling. His eyes widening after realizing his mistake. He sat there staring into the distance. It doesn’t take long for Neil to notice something was wrong with Max. He had this wild expression written on his face that also appeared tame. 

“Uh, Max? Are you okay?” Neil asks him, looking concerned at him. 

He doesn’t say anything. After a long pause, he turns to look at Neil. At this point, he was trembling. He couldn’t quite control himself with all the built-up anger from being outwitted and basically at defeat, knowing that he could have at least one person as a backup. 

“Am I okay?” He repeats Neil’s question calmly. 

Neil’s only response was giving Max a worried expression. 

“Am I okay?” He says once more. This time raising his voice, snapping at him, drawing attention to them. This only fueled Max’s anger, making him stand on the table to cause a bigger scene. It was like he mentally snapped. 

“Am I really the only person seeing this shit?!” He yells. “Everyone here isn’t fucking blind.” No one says anything, they just look at him. It was like they were all dumbfounded about what he’s talking about. 

“There’s dead fucking raccoons hanging up all around where are tents are set up! With the same symbols carved above their heads that’s painted on your faces,” he continued. 

Their silent stares are beginning to pierce at him, making him think that he’s truly gone off the bat. This was becoming more frustrating. Max could feel his emotions getting less controllable and the last thing he needed was to have a mental breakdown in front of everyone. ‘David’ had managed to fuck with him in a way no one ever could. 

“Max,” Neil starts, grabbing his hand, trying to pull him down from the table. 

“What?” Max replies angrily, snatching his hand from Neil’s grasp then getting down to face him, eyes locking with each other. 

With a sudden crack, everything seemed to still. Turning his attention to the noise, Max could see David standing not too far from them with a stretched smile and a cocked neck. He could feel their stares turn cold.

He turns to see Neil still right in front of him. Inexplicably, clapping in Max’s face, sending him on an intense downward spiral. His expression is sour. He turns back to see David just standing there. Max watches him, too. Now trembling with fear and obedience. David looks unblinkingly back. 

* * *

Yet again, Gwen woke up late. Sure, she got to sleep in late and David seemed to be doing just fine without her help, it was just that it was starting to annoy her. But she shouldn’t be since she’s getting more rest, the kids aren’t as bad as usual. Maybe it could’ve been the fact that she didn’t feel like she was doing her job anymore. 

_Well let’s go_ , she told herself, finally getting out of bed and getting ready to start another day.

On her way to the activity field, she could see something large built not too far from the table. As she got closer she could see the kids lining up to put a single rock around it along with what they made yesterday. 

“What are you guys doing? And what’s on your foreheads?” Gwen asks genuinely curious, approaching them. No one answers her, they only look at her for a split second before looking back forward. It was unusual for not one of them to reply. But the way they looked at her- it was unsettling and honestly kinda made her worry. 

Just about all the campers were in line or were in the process of putting their rock down. Everyone was participating but Max again. Walking over to him, she could something was right with him as she got closer. 

“Hey Max,” she says, trying to greet him. This wasn’t the usual greeting she’d have for him but from the looks of him, it appeared he needed a more gentle approach. 

He doesn’t say anything to her, he barely even turn his head to see her. When he did turn to see her, it was only for a mere second. Then he turned back, looking forward out into the distance, slouching over. Observing him a little more, she could see Max quivering. Seeing him like this, it felt so unnerving and out of place. _Max would never get like this_. She stands back, looking at him. 

“Hey, Gwen!” David chirps, popping out of nowhere. 

Normally that would’ve startled her, but not this time. Her mind was consumed and drowned any noise. 

“David, something’s wrong with Max,” Gwen says, devoid of any emotion other than concern. 

Taking a look, he could see what she was talking about. He moves to sit right next to him, trying to inspect him. 

“Max?” David asks, worriedly. 

He gets just about the same response as Gwen’s except it was more attentive. He fully turned his head to meet David then turning it back to look forward again. 

“Max... “ He says, sounding broken. 

Looking at him, Gwen grabs David’s hand pulling him up and luring him away to talk to him privately. 

“David, what happened?” She asks, looking into his eyes. There was a short pause, he didn’t really know what to say. “Or what’s happening? Max is _never_ like this,” she stresses. 

“... I don’t know. He was fine this morning.” Gwen doesn’t say anything, she only continues to look David in the eyes. “I don’t know what happened. I- do you think it could have something to do with the lemonade?” 

“What was in this lemonade, David?”

“I got the ingredients from Quarter Master’s place,” he quickly replies. 

She looks at him suspiciously, narrowing her eyes at him. She knew he wasn’t telling the truth and some part of her felt that he knew that too. 

“David,” she says, raising her voice slightly. “I want the truth,” she tells him. A part of her knew he wouldn’t tell her the full truth, but it wouldn’t hurt to at least try to get it out of him. 

“I am telling the truth, Gwen,” he tells her, not breaking eye contact then grabbing her hands. Covering it with his hands trying to assure her. 

“Maybe he would talk one on one instead of being around others. Don’t you think?” David asks her, trying to imply that she should talk to him. 

“Yeah,” she replies, looking down at their hands. She slowly began pulling hers away from his, looking back up at him. His eyes were still locked on her. She doesn’t take her eyes off of him not until she started making her way over to Max. She could still feel his stare on her as she walked away. 

“Max?” 

He still doesn’t say anything, he just continued to look at her. His face was devoid of emotion. Some part of her wanted to blame herself for letting this happen, that she should’ve been trying to listen to him. 

_You didn’t know this was going to happen,_ Gwen convinces herself. She didn’t know that this was going to happen so why should she blame herself for it? 

“Max?” She grabs his shoulders, giving him a little shake. He continues to look at her then slowly turns his head to avoid her gaze. She lets go of him to cup the underside of his chin so he could look at her. 

When he looked, his eyes were glassy as if he was about to cry. It was like his lips were struggling to stay in a straight line. From her point of view, it looked like he wanted to say something but something was holding him back. 

“Has he said anything?” David asks, approaching Gwen. 

“No.” 

“Well, Quarter Master is going to be taking the kids to town so they can watch one of the new movies that can out.” He tells her. “Maybe this could help him and besides it wouldn’t hurt for them to try and fun, would it?” 

“No,” she replies. “But how’d you convince him to do it?” She asked, placing a hand on her hip. 

“Oh, when I pitched the idea to him, he said alright since he was planning to go to town tonight.” 

She doesn’t say anything to him, she just looks at him. There wasn’t anything else she could say. If she were to respond, what could have been her response? 

* * *

Gwen had never felt more alone. It wasn’t for the fact that all the kids were gone or that it was just her and David or anything. But it was that now the only person she could talk to her was ‘gone’. He might’ve not been truly gone, but he was there anymore and she probably could’ve prevented it. If she tried to just listen for one minute. 

She lets a long sigh, dragging her hands over her face. The more she thought about today, about how the kids acted, the more she’d become stressed and filled with anxiety. However, she couldn’t help but think about it. Even though she didn’t take the time to focus on the other kids, she knew something wasn’t right with them. They all just looked at her and the way they looked at her… 

“Is there something wrong?” David asks looking at her with concern from across the table.

“Huh? Oh no, I’m fine,” she tries to assure him, looking down at her plate her full. She couldn’t bring herself to eat with everything. 

Today was subtle to what it can be, though Gwen would rather take an obnoxious day any time than now. 

“Gwen?” 

“You think that what happened because of me?” He asks her, wanting her to look him in the eyes. 

“What? No,” she tells him, looking up at him. He watches her in belief, waiting for her to say more. “Well even if you did it probably wasn’t on purpose, right?” For whatever reason, she was hoping to get a different answer out of him. 

“No, it wasn’t.” 

Gwen had expected the shower to ease her, but it didn’t. She was willing to do anything to take her mind off of today. Instead of reading or writing fanfiction, she turned on Bob Ross. Maybe this could soothe her if this couldn’t then most likely anything would. Sitting in her robe, she couldn’t help but think about how if she’d just listened and stopped ignoring all of this then maybe, just maybe, this could’ve been prevented. She knew something was off around here in the beginning and that off feeling has been coming from David, at least for the moment. Maybe if she just admitted it, this situation would’ve gone differently. He was the same, but it wasn’t him. Sure, he’s not all cheerful as usual but he was somewhat there? 

_Why are you deflecting?_ At this point, it seemed like she was doing everything in her power to not admit that there was something wrong with him. She didn’t even know why… entirely. 

After the episode that brought nothing but bad thoughts, Gwen decided it was time to go to bed. Before she could change, she heard the door creak open. All that could be seen at the door was David trying to sly his way in without notice. If it weren’t for the noise, it would’ve worked. 

He was late, again. Though this only occurred barely two times, she had to say something. Even though the kids came back from the movies than they should have that didn’t give him an excuse to come back late. It doesn’t take that long to make sure all the campers were asleep.

“What took you so long?” 

“I was just making sure all the kids were okay before they go to sleep.” He responds, quickly glancing at her body before keying his attention to her face. 

She looks at him, choosing to ignore the glance and saying nothing. She only crosses her arms so that he could tell that she wasn’t believing it and so that she could hide the unease in her. 

There was a short pause. They didn’t take their eyes off each other until Gwen looked over at the bathroom. 

“I’m going to finish getting ready for bed,” she tells him, walking away. 

“Okay,” David replied, watching for her a second then looking somewhere else. 

It didn’t take long to get herself together ready. Some part of her didn’t want to come out. She didn’t want to be around anyone, especially with David right now. She knew she would have to come out sometime so doing it now would be the most appropriate. 

When she opened the door she was met with David standing right in front of it, looking right at her. He puts out one of his hands, offering it to her. She looks at his hand then looks back up to see him with a warm smile on his face. She was hesitant to take it. 

“What are you trying to do David?” This wasn’t much of a question, but more of a demand. 

“Just come on,” he tells her in a playful tone. 

She slowly reaches out to take it. Gwen knew she would feel guilty if she didn’t. When he had a firm grasp of her hand, he began guiding her to the door. To where they ended up at was rather more than surprising. They went nowhere, he only guided her out of the cabin. 

He sat down in front of the cabin’s door, looking at her, implying that she should do the same. Understanding his hint, she sits down. Her body was tense, but she was giving her best effort to not show it. 

The silence between them was unbearing and was becoming overwhelming for her. She parts her lips to say something in an attempt to get him to say something or anything. 

“This is nice,” he says, looking at her. 

Gwen doesn’t say anything, she just nods her head in agreement then looks at him. She knew what he was trying to do so it was best not to question him. 

He doesn’t say anything after that, turning to look up at the night’s sky. Mimicking his moves, she looks up too. The more she looked the more she’d gaze. The night is still and the midnight sky was full of stars, some glimmering. They sat there and looked. This time’s silence was more relaxing knowing what he planned. 

She looked down to give her neck a break, beginning to fiddle with her hands uncontrollably. She didn’t even realize that she brought her knees to her chest until she began doing it. She was unsure if she should say anything but the words escaped quicker than she could think to say. 

“Well, it’s working,” she gives him a small smile. 

He turns to look at her, smiling back. For a moment they sort of just looked at each other, not a word exchanged. Slowly, almost subconsciously, Gwen leans toward Davids, capturing his lips. He stills, he doesn’t pull back nor engage. 

She quickly pulls back, looking at him wildly. _This was a mistake._

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that. I didn-” 

She was cut off by David’s lips catching hers. Everything seemed to be drowned out by Gwen’s thumping heart. They pulled back to face each other yet remained close enough that their noses were touching, lips brushing against each other. She hadn’t noticed that one of David’s hands were resting behind her head until she began pulling away further. 

When they fully parted, Gwen looks away. David looks at her for a few seconds. He could see her blushing heavily. Understanding what she was trying to do, he looks back up at the sky. A long pause followed afterward. 

“We should go to sleep,” Gwen finally says, standing up, offering him a hand. 

“Yeah,” he responds, taking her offer, following her inside. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I have been taking some scenes and elements from Midsommar, I’m sorry but I just love the movie. Is it better than Hereditary? That’s debatable.


	5. Foolery

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for posting this chapter late. School started and I was able to draw again with pen pressure on Sai so that got me. I've also got distracted with other ideas for fics I plan to write. This and the next chapter will a little slow but it's needed, I promise :)

  
It was hard to sleep that night. She couldn’t stop thinking about what she has done. It was a huge mistake that she could never forget. At the time she did enjoy it but that couldn’t be said for the aftermath.

  
The more Gwen thought about it the more wrong it felt. The fact that he kissed back- it just didn’t, it wasn’t- it was just off. His lips were cold, stiff even. When they fully parted, she saw no blush. Usually, with the slight convenience, he’d be a burning bright red. The way he looked at her, she didn’t get this comfort feeling from him.

  
She didn’t feel any real passion behind the kiss. It felt like he only did it so she wouldn’t feel bad about it. It was an upsetting feeling that she wishes can go away.

  
It seemed like she laid there for twenty minutes, allowing herself to get lost in her thoughts. She couldn’t fight them or they would just come back for revenge. She won’t be drifting off to sleep anytime soon. Her thoughts couldn’t quite consume her just yet, she could hear David’s bed creak, indicating that he’s moving.

  
Gwen couldn’t help but look over to him. When she does, she’s met with his gaze from across the space between them. She could only assume he was unable to sleep because of tonight too. Well, that would only the logical reason for him to be up right now.

  
“Couldn’t sleep?” Gwen asks him, sitting up.

  
“Yeah,” David replies.

  
There was an awkward silence that followed afterward. It’s almost as if this was the right moment to address anything that needed to be said. So why not extract the moment?

  
“Look,” Gwen begins. “What I did was- I didn’t mean it, I’m sorry. I don’t know what came over me.” God, it hurt to say that. Instead of being showed sadness, it seemed to be a disappointment. Letting out a small ‘oh’ before looking down.

  
“These days just have been stressful, alright? I think it’s best if we forget about this and never tell this to anybody, okay?”

  
He doesn’t say anything, he just looks up at her, becoming devoid of any emotion. He gives her a simple nod before turning his back to her, laying back down.

  
Gwen watches him for a quick second then lying back down, her back facing his. She felt terrible saying that. Did she need to say it?

  
Tomorrow is going to be one shitty day.

  
She didn’t get much sleep last night. All because of that stupid move she pulled. This sleeping in shit has to stop and Gwen was going to make sure of it.

  
It didn’t take long for her to get ready to start the day. On her way to the activity field, she could see the large volcanic figure tower over the kids with their creations. She could see the kids building, cutting wood, and more.

  
“Um, David?”

  
“Yes, Gwen?” He asks her in a cheery tone.

  
“I don’t think today’s ‘activity’ is safe-”

  
“Nonsense Gwen! I’m sure they can handle this, right kids?” None of them respond to him. They just take a glance at him than continuing building. She wanted to ask what they were building but she knew she’d get no answer.

  
Max was participating for once.

  
“Hey Max,” Gwen greets as she walked to him.

  
“Hey,” he greets back. His voice seemed to have lost its tone for a moment, lifeless and all but it beats anything over him being the way he was yesterday.

  
She was hoping their greets would develop into a conversation but it doesn’t. There was a long unnerving pause that followed afterward.

  
Max begins “So you and David are a thing now?” Adding a smirk to his remark.

  
How the fuck did he know this? He caught her by surprise, again. “No, we are not,” she says, adding emphasizes on each word.

  
“Then what was yesterday?” He asks her. It was like he was trying to get a kick out of her. Maybe he was back after all

  
“Yesterday was none of your goddamn business, you little shit.” She tells him lowly, pointing at him. Maybe that was a little too far. He’s just now seeming to be more like himself but god did it feel good to feel like herself again.

  
“Oh? Then why did I hear moaning from the cabin?” He’s beginning to pluck to right strings to unravel her now. He could see it too, her face was flushed to his surprise.

  
“Moaning?” Nurf barges in.

This wasn’t going to be like how it was last time. This time she was caught, but how? How did he figure out? They all were put to bed, there was no one around when it happened.

  
She looks at David; it wasn’t for backup or help but his attention. Sure enough, he wasn’t paying attention just like last time. Gwen could only assume he must’ve told Max. But why would he do that? He couldn’t have told them, she specifically told him to not tell that to anyone.

  
The best choice for her right now was to leave, but not before talking to David. She was trying her best to not show her anger and embarrassment on her way over to him.

  
“Why the fuck did you tell them?” She asks, dragging him to the side privately. Her voice was low and threatening-like.

  
“I didn’t,” he tells her, yanking his hand away from her grasp.

  
“Bullshit, I know you did. None of the kids are that interested to know what was happening between me and you.” He isn’t given any time to retort before she began talking again. “You know what? Save it. I don’t have time for this.”

* * *

Today was just not the day. It moving especially slow was not helping her cause either. As of now, she didn’t feel like being bothered.

  
It was unusual how they picked up on what happened. It didn’t seem like they would care for it but then again they did listen in on Max’s last accusation. Though this time they seem more interested and more joyful about it?

  
“Hey Gwen,” the entire time she had her head down thinking until she heard that familiar voice.

  
“Here to mess with me some more?”

  
“No, I’m not allowed to anymore,” Max answers her.

  
“What?” She cocks her eyebrow in confusion. He doesn’t reply to her, he just unblinkingly looks at her from across the table.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had to cut this short because I wanted to get this out so I can be a little more closer to my favorite part. Not only that but I think this was good to stop at.


	6. They're not who they seem

She just looked back at him as the room fell cool. The conversation had taken a dark turn quickly. His stare was lifeless. Gwen wasn’t quite sure what to do, but she knew she needed to make some sort of move.

  
His lips curled into a simple smile. It was not one of his devilish ones either. This one felt more mechanical and forced. His pale eyes were locked with hers.

  
It was like she mentally froze. This was becoming too surreal that she was beginning to think this was a dream. She knew it wasn’t but she had hoped it was. Knowing that this was all real overwhelmed her. All the flags were there and she chose to ignore them until it’s final appearance. And this was it, it had to be it.

  
“You cannot move,” Max tells her soothingly.

  
He was right, she desperately wanted to move but it was like something was holding her in place. She couldn’t bring herself to move either. If she were to, who’s to say nothing would happen next?

  
She felt a hand placed itself on her shoulder, startling her. The act caught her off guard, causing her to swing at whoever was near. Unlike last time, David catches her forearm too, preventing any damage.

  
His grasp was firm, tight, and controlling. It was a scary combination, the fact that he caught her reflex was even more terrifying.

  
Gwen just looks at him wildly surprised then turning to look at her arm. It was his signal to let go in which he did.

  
“Sorry,” he tells her. She doesn’t say anything though, she just looks back at him for a moment as she walked to the doors. Gwen was trying to revert her focus on back to what she needs to do, she can’t stay here.

As she walked back to the cabin to try and she thought about what she needed to do. On her way she sees another figure walk by or something but it seemed more recognizable human-like. She didn’t go look to see who or what it was because she couldn’t be bothered too. She needed to think.

  
When she enters the cabin she goes straight to the bathroom, looking at herself in the mirror. She looked tired and wild. Everything- all of this was making her stressed and her anxiety rise. If she doesn’t calm down soon she would end up having an anxiety attack and that’s the last thing she needed right now. This could also make her more vulnerable to whatever’s happening.

  
Gwen continues to look into the mirror to try and gather herself. Her best bet was to make up a lie about using the car to go into town to get things. She’d hate to leave the kids but they’re gone and whatever happened to them probably can’t be irreversible. She can’t bank on possibilities right now and she cannot think the alternatives. There is none. Maybe when she’s safe she could come back to help. If there’s a way.

  
When she opened the bathroom door, she could see David standing right in front of her.

  
“Everything alright?” He asks her in his genuine voice, trying his best to look sincere.

  
“Oh yeah,” Gwen answers him. “Hey do have the keys to the car? I have to go into town to meet up with someone,” she could hear that her deliver was rushed and unbalanced. She mentally slapped herself for it to, but she couldn’t show it.

David reaches into his pocket, grabbing the keys. “Sure,” he tells her, holding them out for her to grab. When she begins reaching for it, he pulls back saying “but do you think they could wait? At least until we’re done with our campfire?”

  
“Sure,” she tells him. Right now she’ll tell him anything as long as she can get the keys.

  
“Yay!” He says excitingly, handing them over.

  
Gwen watched him walk out of the cabin before looking back down in her hand. There’s no telling what could happen tonight and she was going to wait to figure out either. Though on the other hand, her leaving right now, doing the complete opposite could be expected. She’s losing either way it goes.

  
All this thinking was making her dizzy, she needed to sit down so she could think properly. She feels like a caged animal. As she sat on her bed, she stared blankly at the floor. Possibly leave in-between times could have some sort of good from it? It probably won’t but it seems like the best option right now.

  
Gwen looked around outside the cabin, making sure no one was around to see her. It felt like there was more than just her around on her way to the car.

  
“Where are you going?”

  
She kept walking towards the car. She didn’t want to ignore the voice but she was too focused on getting out of here.

  
“Can I come with you?”

  
_Just keep walking_ , she told herself.

  
“Gwen?” This time she had to turn to look even when she’s right where she needs to be. She turns to see David looking at her, holding several supplies.

  
“Yeah? Oh! I’m just looking to see if what I left was still in there,” yet again another rushed delivery. To her surprise, he doesn’t question her and makes his way over to the activity field. He just has to be able to see right through her which might be the case. She’s probably making everything worse for herself by now.

Eerie was the best to describe the atmosphere right now. Everyone was here but they weren’t. They seemed hollow. There has to be something planned.

The more she thought about it the more she could feel herself become more dizzy and heavy. Hopefully, no one can notice this.

  
“How about a story?” David asks the kids brightly. They didn’t give much of a response to him. Just some mumbles and attentive looks.

  
David grabs his guitar from behind, saying “This time I’m going to do it in a song format!”

  
He plucks a string, sounding off tune.

  
“Everything is under our noses but sometimes we can’t see it,” he lets out lowly, looking at the kids. He plucks another “but when we do…” he trails, shifting his gaze to Gwen. He pulls his lips back into a smile. “We realize everything is set as stone.”

  
There was no subtlety. There is no escaping is there? Everything seemed to become more dense and dark.

  
Gwen looks right back at him for a moment before looking around at something else. She could feel the kids' cold stare. The kids were silent, attentive, and waiting for her next move. She desperately wanted to run but she needed to play this safe.

  
His gaze was unbearable. They just sat there for a minute. David then cups the bottom of her chin, turning her to face him. “You can go now!” He tells her more cheerfully.

  
Gwen looks at him dumbfounded before nodding, unsure if she should move. He told her there was no escape so what would be the point of trying? Though that doesn’t mean she shouldn’t try, does it?

  
As she left she could feel their stares follow her. Before getting in she looks through the windows to make sure there was nothing in before she got in. When she got in she could feel herself getting dizzy. She needed to move now and fast. Turning the key, she started it up.

  
When she turned to look back and see if there was anything behind, there was nothing. She turns back, taking in a deep breath before driving slowly.

  
It didn’t feel like she was going anywhere. Everything around her was getting darker and darker by the moment. The inside light wasn’t coming on and the headlights began to dim. Distantly, she could hear a horn going off continuously. Blinking slowly, Gwen could see a blurry figure open her door. Leaning down, they closed her eyelids, making everything go black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So for the next chapter there might be a scene that's out of here. If you read the first chapter's notes where I mentioned that Attack of the Doppleganger was my inspiration for this. If you read that fic then you probably already know what to expect from the next chapter. Though I'm not too sure if I really want that part to be there. This is just a heads up, not really a warning possibly.


	7. It's Okay

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah I didn't mean to disappear for a month. Art and school stuff got to me. There's no telling how long it'll be for the next chapter, hopefully it'll be soon. Anyway I hope you enjoy this chapter. Its the third version and more suiting one. The other two rough drafts didn't really fit well and wouldn't have followed what I was going for. These next chapters will most likely be way longer.

  
Everything felt heavy, her muscles felt weak. It was hard for her to even open her eyes let alone stay awake. When she looked around she saw that everything was the same or normal in this case. She sat there for a moment, furrowing her eyebrows in recall of last night. It was more of a blur and she was to try hard enough the pounding in the back of her head would only get worse.

The cabin was still, quiet, cold. It took all her strength to open her eyes. Everything felt heavy, her muscles were weak.

  
Gwen lays there for a moment, not wanting to move despite how uncomfortable she feels in what she was in. When she moved slightly, she could feel a similar material rub the wrong way. _Well, that’s odd,_ she thought, she was still in her clothes from yesterday. Prompting herself on her elbow, she looked around to see no one, no David. The ringing in her head flashed a quick image of a figure standing over her.

  
It was all coming back to her in a dreadful way. She was truly alone now; no Max, no Dolph, no one. This was probably how Max felt.

  
Gwen just sat there staring around. She didn’t know what to do. She wanted to call out David’s name but she stops herself. She knows what’s happening but she doesn’t. She was in some state of denial.

  
At this point, all she could do was sit there. Just sit there and wait.

  
Looking at the door, it creaks slightly open. She could hear small giggles outside the door. Getting up slowing, keeping her attention directed to the door. David slowly opens it, poking his head through to look around before stepping in.

  
“Oh, you’re awake!” He was excited, greeting her with a large smile. His expression demented.

  
Gwen didn’t know if she should speak back or remain quiet. Either way, her body decided for her to not react. Even if she were to react and say something what could she say?

“You’ve been asleep for an awfully long time,” he tells, walking closer towards her.

  
She mustn’t back up, that could give him both a physical and mental advantage of her. If she does she would be losing her space and showing that he’s intimidating to her. Not responding, she looks at him, studying him.

  
“Oh come one Gwen, don’t be like that! We’ve built so much together.” It felt like he was playing with her yet being genuine.

  
“Not us,” she says, lowly as if it was a warning.

  
“No, but we have.” He can see right through her. Getting closer to her, his eyes seemed to dim but his smile didn’t fade. It remained crooked, unbalanced. “These several days I’ve spent with you,” he begins “I could see what we have. After all this searching, I finally found the right one!”

  
He must’ve been getting closer without her attention because he was standing right in front of her. Towering over her, looking into her eyes.

  
“I’ve seen so much from you. You’ll be appreciated Gwen, you’ll be known, you are the Thetan Queen.”

  
“I’m no Queen,” she tells him, wanting him to know.

  
“Oh but you are,” he responds quickly, grabbing her hands to cover them with his to assure her. “You fit perfectly for this time’s Queen and besides all of this will not be for nothing,” he establishes.

  
His smile never cracked.

  
“L-let go of me,” it came out more of a faint whisper than a demand.

  
“No. Now tell me something Gwen, how long would it have taken you to realize that I’m not your gullible buddy? Hm?”

  
She couldn’t say anything. She just stood there in shock, still keeping her eyes locked with his.

  
“I thought you would’ve known him like the back of your hand but then again he must’ve not have been that important to you since you weren’t concerned.” Gwen knew what he was doing and it was sure as well working. She could feel herself becoming smaller under his words and it was infuriating. It was to the point where the hot tears began to build up.

  
He could see this too. “It’s okay,” letting go of her hands, moving one of his hands to stroke her cheek. “I’ll make sure you’ll know me, you’ll remember me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I avoided doing the thing I said might've happened


	8. Chapter 8

So I won’t be continuing Tell the Tale because it’s awful. Like it’s bad and my god why did I keep going. Everything is just bad and I’m not gonna continue on something I don’t like. I won’t be continuing the story HOWEVER I will be remaking/revising it. If I have anything from some time ago and I think it needs a remake I’m gonna do it. In the remake it’ll be much more detailed, things will make since and won’t be shoved in there, it’ll have more psychological stuff, and yeah. I don’t know when I’ll be able to start revising it since I have other things planned but we’ll see.


End file.
